Aug. 23, 2024
Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield has received the American Heart Association's Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Quality Achievement Award for 2024. This award recognizes commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
Get With The Guidelines-Stroke puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence and research-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines-Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
“As a certified primary stroke care center, the community can feel confident that we are continually striving to meet the specialized needs of our stroke patients," said Jeannie Pittenger, Health System stroke program coordinator. “We are held to standards to help ensure the best outcomes for our patients. From the moment the patient enters our doors, teams are ready to offer the most appropriate level of care for their special set of medical needs."
Marshfield Medical Center averages about 50% of stroke patients transferred in from other hospitals within the state for this specialized level of care.
Achieving the Gold Plus status signifies Marshfield Medical Center has 24 consecutive months or more in achieving compliance with The Joint Commission stroke certification standards.
Marshfield Medical Center also received the American Heart Association's Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with a clot-busting agent. Hospitals qualify when 85% of applicable patients are given a clot-busting agent in under 60 minutes or less from arrival. Marshfield Medical Center achieved 97.1% for this measure in 2023.
In addition, Marshfield Medical Center also received the American Heart Association's Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure stroke patients with Type 2 Diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke. To qualify for this award, hospitals must prove 80% or more compliance for 12 months in specific standards for stroke patients.
“Our goal is to help our stroke patients through their stroke journey, whatever that may be, and help them and their families adapt to their changing life," Pittenger said. “I thank our dedicated stroke team who collaborates together to help our patients from treatment, management through recovery."
Each year, Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, as Get With The Guidelines-Stroke participating hospitals, we also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
